Arunachal Pradesh to have 100 advanced weather stations, MoU signed in Itanagar

The MoU was signed at Itanagar in the presence of Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and Arunachal Pradesh government on Monday signed an MoU under which nearly 100 advanced weather stations will be set to enhance surface weather observation infrastructure in the frontier state.

The MoU was signed at Itanagar between the IMD and the Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies, Arunachal Pradesh government in the presence of Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Kiren Rijiju.

Sanjay O’Neill Shaw, a scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Guwahati said that as a part of the MoU, both organisations will carry out joint research and development in the field of meteorology and allied subjects, knowledge transfers and information and data sharing in areas of weather, extreme event monitoring and forecasting.

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Apart from about 100 automatic weather stations and automatic rain gauge stations, the IMD is also planning to install three X-band Doppler Weather Radars in the state.

"This will help in the enhancement of surface weather observations in the state. Also, weather forecasts with impact-based advisories will also be issued for different users of the state," he said.

Tana Tage, director of the Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies said the MoU will have a long-term impact on the research activities for the benefit of the society.

Despite being a strategically important and disaster-prone state, the subject of weather forecast and observation did not get much importance in Arunachal Pradesh.

Due to a lack of proper and sufficient weather-related data, preventive measures could not be taken by the administration for avoiding or reducing the impact of flash floods, something which the state faces during every monsoon.